Carlyncia McDowell is a 2020 graduate from Spelman College in Atlanta, GA, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Public Health. Although she is originally from Saint Louis, Carlyncia fell in love with Georgia and continued her academia at the University of Georgia (UGA).Carlyncia is a master’s candidate in Public Health concentrating in Health Policy and Management with certificates in African American Studies, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, and Disaster Management. She has made it her mission to network and acquire knowledge on health disparities that affect marginalized communities, find effective methods to meet various communities’ needs, and debunk mental health stigma. Her interests include diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI), mental health, policy, research/data, and communication. Carlyncia was an inaugural fellow of the College of Public Health’s Health Equity Fellowship. Within this fellowship, she worked with the City Manager of Milledgeville, Georgia, to gain background information and research about community health practices and behaviors, aiming to implement mental health practices. Additionally, Carlyncia served as the 2021-202 Vice President of the UGA ACHE Student Chapter, focusing on career development, diversity, and inclusion. Lastly, Carlyncia has volunteered within the Atlanta non-profit community during 2020-2021 as a Policy and Research Intern for Hope Givers, GA Inc., Secretary for My Brother’s Keeper, and Intern for the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC) Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. She is currently a Public Health Teaching Assistant, Graduate Research Assistant, and a Member of Georgia’s Association of Health Executives (GAHE) Communications and Diversity & Inclusion Committees
